Crampon

ABSTRACT

A crampon comprises a base plate fixed to a boot with excellent elasticity, an axial element arranged on a bottom of the base plate across the base plate, and a spike rotatably arranged with resting on the axial element. A knob is provided with the spike to hold the knob and rotate the spike so as to make the spike folded and unfolded as the spike uses the axial element as its axis in a state of wearing the crampon on the boot.

This invention relates to crampons fixed under the sole of mountain boots, and more particularly to rotary type crampons which allow the wearer to make quick and easy conversion from traversing icy or snowy terrain to passing by the usual ground without ice or snow by means of unfolding and folding the spike with anchoring claws in a state of holding the crampons on boots.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In general, crampons are fixed under the sole of mountain boots to prevent slipping when mountaineering or trekking a ridge covered with packed snow or ice, and are one of necessities in climbing in the winter.

People increase day by day who enjoy mountain climbing because it provides healthy leisure time activities with hardening mind and body. Particularly, a rapid increment of people who enjoy climbing in the winter requires crampons considering ergonomics design and safety.

Most crampons are made of metal by bending a metal plate to form spikes projecting from the plate, and there are the latest ones made of synthetic resins to reduce weights and improve a wearing state better. Plastic crampons adopt materials such as polyurethane to provide comport when wearing them and include spikes attached underneath the plastic plate of crampons.

Furthermore, it is burdensome repeatedly to tie and remove crampons depending on the state of terrain where the user encounters while climbing mountains.

In the winter season, old and feeble persons often use crampons to prevent slipping or falling, and even in this case, it is uncomfortable to tie and remove crampons when alternatively encountering an icy or snowy section and the usual ground without ice or snow while walking. Noises and impacts arising from when going through no icy or snowy section with crampons on the boots are unpleasant to the user and people too around.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a crampon designed to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks.

According to the present invention, there is provided a crampon which is fixed to and removed from the boots, and is capable of pivoting the crampon to fold it without removing the crampon from the boots when the user wishes not to use so as to prevent the crampon hitting against the ground.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a crampon comprising a base plate 10 fixed to the boot with excellent elasticity, an axial element 20 arranged on a bottom of the base plate across the base plate, and a spike 30 rotatably arranged with resting on the axial element, wherein the spike 30 is folded and unfolded as the spike uses the axial element 20 as its axis.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a crampon illustrating an exploded perspective view according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crampon of FIG. 1 in a wearing state.

FIG. 3 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 1 works.

FIG. 4 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 1 does not work as its normal usage.

FIG. 5 illustrates the processes how the crampon of FIG. 1 is operated.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a crampon illustrating an exploded perspective view according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the crampon of FIG. 6 in a wearing state.

FIG. 8 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 6 works.

FIG. 9 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 6 does not work as its normal usage.

FIG. 10 illustrates the processes how the crampon of FIG. 6 is operated.

FIG. 11 shows various sectional views of the rotary axis of the crampon of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments 1 and 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is one embodiment of the invention showing an exploded perspective view of a crampon, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the crampon of FIG. 1 showing a wearing state and FIG. 3 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 1 works. FIG. 4 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 1 does not work as its normal usage and FIG. 5 illustrates the processes how the crampon of FIG. 1 is operated.

A crampon as preferred one embodiment of the present invention includes a base plate 10 with excellent elasticity which is fixed to the boots, an axial element 20 arranged on the bottom of the base plate 10 across the base plate, and a spike 30 which is rotatably mounted with resting on the axial element 20, wherein the spike 30 can be folded and unfolded as the spike 30 uses the axial element 20 as its axis.

The base plate 10 is in a thin plate shape with flat surfaces and elasticity and is closely fixed to the bottom of the boot. A pair of fastening strings 14 are provided at opposite sides of the base plate 10 and the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 is made thin with elasticity so as to restore against the pressure exerted thereon from the exterior.

In the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10, a plurality of through bores 12 a are formed and engaging means 18 such as bolts are fitted therethrough. A bottom fastening member 16 is also mounted on the top surface of the base plate 10, the fastening member 16 being fixed by the engaging means 18 fitted into the through bores 12 a.

The bottom fastening member 16 is generally in a thin and slim rectangular plate shape with edge portions 16 a of horned configuration bent upward at each edge of the fastening member 16 so as to tighten the fixing state between the crampon and the boot.

The fastening strings 14 provided in both opposite sides of the base plate 10 are preferably made of resilient rubber to be fastened about both sides of the boot. Materials with elasticity such as plastics, cotton, rubber or urethane may be used.

The axial element 20 is mounted on the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 by means of engaging means 18 to prevent the base plate 10 from contacting the ground. The axial element 20 includes a resilient member 22 with a given height and a hinge groove 24 provided with a storage vacancy 26, both formed on the top surface of the resilient member 22. The groove 24 accommodates a braking protrusion 36 described hereinafter arranged in a manner of hinged rotation.

The hinge groove 24 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the resilient member 22 and includes the storage vacancy 26 in the middle portion of the hinge groove 24 to store lubricating oil such as grease for reducing friction between the braking protrusion 36 and the base plate 10.

The resilient member 22 is made of materials with high elasticity and wear-resistance such as rubber or urethane and is preferably in rectangular shape with a given thickness and length. However, semi-cylindrical or polyhedral column may be applied.

The spike 30 is rotatably hinged between the base plate 10 and the axial element 20, and includes a rotary axis 31 rotatably supported in the hinge groove 24 of the resilient member 22 and connecting portions 32 each of which is connected to the respective end of the rotary axis 31 without coming contact with the resilient member 22. The spike 30 further includes a shock absorber 38 arranged to wrap an opposite side to the rotary axis 31 at the connecting portions 32 and vertical anchoring claws 34 projecting from the side edges of each of two connecting portions 32.

As shown in FIG. 11, the sectional shape of the rotary axis 31 may be cylindrical, triangular or rectangular. The connecting portions 32 are provided with knobs 35, respectively, in order to allow the user to easily rotate the spike 30.

The rotary axis 31 is also provided with braking protrusion 36 projecting upward in the longitudinal direction of the spike 30 so as to keep the spike 30 folded or unfolded by the restoring force of the base plate 10 and the axial element 20.

In particular, the braking protrusion 36 includes an upper braking protrusion 36 a and a lower braking protrusion 36 b which are projected upward in the middle portion of the rotary axis 31 in an opposite direction to the extending direction of the connecting portions 32.

The upper braking protrusion 36 a has a given slope in the upper direction relative to the horizontal plane of the rotary axis 31 to keep the spike 30 folded, and the lower braking protrusion 36 b has a given slope in the lower direction relative to the horizontal plane of the rotary axis 31 to keep the spike 30 unfolded.

Preferably, the braking protrusion 36 has a width wider than the thickness of the rotary axis 31 so as to make the spike 30 close to the base plate 10 by the restoring force of the resilient member 22. Edges of the braking protrusion 36 is rounded to minimize the friction with the base plate 10.

The connecting portions 32 are provided with knobs, respectively, projecting from the connecting portions 32 for the user to rotate the crampon.

An adjustable strap 40, which makes it possible to fix the crampon to the boot by adjusting its length according to the size of boots, is provided with one of the fastening strings 14 arranged in the base plate 10. After hooking around one of the fastening strings 14, both ends of the adjustable strap 40 go through adjusting holes 42 a, respectively, which are formed in a hooking device 42 and extend by a certain length.

At this time, one end of the adjusting strap 40 passes through one of four adjusting holes 42 a and, after that, turns around and passes through an adjacent adjusting hole 42 a again so as to adjust the length of the strap 40. The other end of the adjustable strap 40 is arranged in a similar manner.

It should be understood that a Velcro, a generic ring type fastener or a hook may be employed instead of the strap 40.

Operation of the first embodiment of the invention will now be explained.

First of all, when applying the crampon to the boot is necessary, the crampon is fixed under the sole of the boot by adjusting the adjusting strap 40 connected to one of the fastening strings 14. When the user wishes to pass by an icy or snowy terrain, the user should rotate the spike 30 by holding and turning the knobs 35 so as to have the anchoring claws 34 faced to the ground in the event that the anchoring claws 34 of the spike 30 is directed to the sky opposite the ground.

At this time, while turning the spike 30, the upper braking protrusion 36 a overcomes the elasticity of the base plate 10 and the resilient member 22 so that the distance between the rotary axis 31 and the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 becomes wider so as to allow the braking protrusion 36 to be rotated in an opposite direction on the basis of the rotary axis 31.

In addition, as the claws 34 becomes close to the base plate 10, the connecting portions 32 and the lower braking protrusion 36 b of the spike 30 maintain a close state to the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 based on the rotary axis 31, which keeps the claws 34 faced to the ground.

When the base plate 10 gets unduly bent due to the rotation of the braking protrusion 36, such excessive bending over the elasticity limit of the base plate 10 is prevented by the resilient member 22 of the axial element 20. That is to say, the resilient member 22 prevents the base plate 10 from being overly bent by the upper and lower braking protrusions 36 a and 36 b.

When the user encounters usual terrain without ice or snow while climbing, the user can rotate the spike 30 by holding and turning the knobs 35 so as to face the claws 34 opposite the ground.

At this time, while turning the spike 30, the lower braking protrusion 36 a overcomes the elasticity of the base plate 10 and the resilient member 22 so that the distance between the rotary axis 31 and the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 becomes wider so as to allow the upper and lower braking protrusions 36 a and 36 b to be rotated in an opposite direction on the basis of the rotary axis 31.

In addition, as the claws 34 becomes close to the base plate 10, the connecting portions 32 and the upper braking protrusion 36 b of the spike 30 maintain a close state to the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 based on the rotary axis 31, which keeps the claws 34 faced to the ground.

Changing of the direction of the claws 34 due to the rotation of the spike 30 prevents the claws 34 from coming into contact with the ground, which, in turn, together with the function of the resilient member 22 and the shock absorber 38 prevents noises and shocks from being transferred to the user's body.

The lubricating oil stored in the storage vacancy 26 of the resilient member 22 is applied to the braking protrusion 36 while it rotates, which results in decrement of noises due to friction with the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10.

Now referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a crampon according to the second embodiment of the invention, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the crampon of FIG. 6 showing a wearing state and FIG. 8 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 6 works. FIG. 9 shows the state in which the crampon of FIG. 6 does not work as its normal usage and FIG. 10 illustrates the processes how the crampon of FIG. 6 is operated.

A crampon as preferred another embodiment of the present invention includes a base plate 10 with excellent elasticity which is fixed to the boots, an axial element 20 arranged on the bottom of the base plate 10 across the base plate, and a spike 30 which is rotatably mounted with resting on the axial element 20, wherein the spike 30 can be folded and unfolded as the spike 30 uses the axial element 20 as its axis.

The base plate 10 and the spike 30 according to the second embodiment are similar to those of the first embodiment except the axial element which is of a thin plate fixed to the base plate 10 at its one part and coupled to the spike at its the other part.

The axial element 50 is of a thin plate with efficient elasticity and comprises a fixed portion 51 having a pair of fastening holes 51 a formed in the middle region thereof in order to fix the axial element 50 in the corresponding middle region of the base plate 10. The axial element 50 further comprises resilient portions 52 extending at a right angle from both ends of the fixed portion 51 toward the rotary axis 31 of the spike 30 so as to wrap and grip the rotary axis 31 and an axial portion 53 provided with the resilient portions 52, respectively to rotatably support the spike 30.

A shock neutralizing element 60 for absorbing shocks fixes the axial element 50 to the base plate 10 and comprises a resilient member 62 with a given height or diameter and engaging members 64 which couples the resilient member 62 and the base plate 10 through the fastening holes 51 a.

The resilient member 62 is made of materials with high elasticity and wear-resistance such as rubber or urethane and is in a cylindrical shape with a given thickness and length. The engaging members 64 are arranged in the middle region of the resilient member 62 at a right angle to the longitudinal direction thereof.

The resilient member 62 is preferably cylindrical and the engaging members 64 consist of bolts and nuts. The nuts, which are placed toward the base plate 10 and come into contact with the sole of the boot, have conical shape so as to penetrate into the bottom of the sole of the boot.

The resilient member 62 is provided with a sponge 63 containing oil or grease.

The rotary axis 31 of the spike 30 is provided with in the middle thereof the braking protrusion 36 in an opposite direction to the extending direction of the connecting portions 32. It should be noted that the braking protrusion may consist of one or two with different angles to each other.

Preferably, the braking protrusion 36 has a width wider than the thickness of the rotary axis 31 so as to make the spike 30 close to the base plate 10 by the restoring force of the resilient member 62. Edges of the braking protrusion 36 are rounded to minimize the friction with the base plate 10.

Now, operation of the second embodiment of the invention will be explained.

When applying the crampon to the boot is necessary, the crampon is fixed under the sole of the boot by adjusting the adjusting strap 40 connected to one of the fastening strings 14. When the user wishes to pass by an icy or snowy terrain, the user should rotate the spike 30 by holding and turning the knobs 35 so as to have the anchoring claws 34 faced to the ground.

As the braking protrusion 36 becomes close to the base plate 10 by the restoring force of the resilient portion 52 of the axial element 50, the connecting portions 32 of the spike 30 maintain a close state to the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10 based on the rotary axis 31, which keeps the claws 34 faced to the ground.

When the user encounters usual terrain without ice or snow while climbing, the user can rotate the spike 30 by holding and turning the knobs 35 to overcome the elasticity of the axial element 50 in an opposite direction to the direction at erecting the claws 34 so as to face the claws 34 opposite the ground.

At this time, excessive deformation of the resilient member 52 of the axial element 50 over a certain angle is prevented by the resilient member 62 since the resilient member 62 supports the resilient portion 52 of the axial element 50 so as to prevent the resilient portion 52 from being unduly bent over a certain angle.

Changing of the direction of the claws 34 due to the rotation of the spike 30 prevents the claws 34 from coming into contact with the ground, which, in turn, together with the function of the resilient member 22 and the shock absorber 38 prevents noises and shocks from being transferred to the user's body.

The oil stored in the sponge 23 is applied to the braking protrusion 36 while it rotates, which results in decrement of noises due to friction with the bottom plate 12 of the base plate 10.

According to the present invention, the following effects are accomplished:

Once the user applies the crampon to the boot, the user can easily adapt oneself to circumstances in which snow and ice are alternatively encountered without repeating actions of fixing and removing the crampon to or from the boot. Changing from a use condition to a nonuse condition and vise versa is made by simply rotating the knob provided with the spike.

When the crampon is in the nonuse condition, the resilient member of the axial element and the shock neutralizing member come into contact the ground instead of the anchoring claws of the spike, which results in decrement of noises and shocks arising from contact between the crampon and the ground.

The above described preferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of the invention, but not to limit its scope. Other embodiments and variations to this preferred embodiment will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims. 

1. A crampon comprising: a base plate fixed to a boot with excellent elasticity; an axial element arranged on a bottom of the base plate across the base plate; a spike rotatably arranged with resting on the axial element; and wherein, the spike is folded and unfolded as the spike uses the axial element as its axis.
 2. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a pair of fastening strings provided with the base plate for fastening the crampon to the boot and an adjustable strap provided with one of the fastening strings for fixing the crampon to the boot adapting to a size of the boot.
 3. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spike comprises a rotary axis rotatably supported by the axial element and anchoring claws for preventing slipping.
 4. A crampon as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotary axis is in a polyhedral shape.
 5. A crampon as claimed in claim 3, wherein the rotary axis comprises a braking protrusion for keeping the spike folded or unfolded.
 6. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial element is a rubber plate having a given thickness capable of absorbing shocks and comprises a storage vacancy for storing lubricating oil so as to reduce the coefficient of friction of the spike.
 7. A crampon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the axial element is in a thin plate shape with high elasticity and comprises a fixed portion fixed to a bottom of the base plate and a resilient portion extending from the fixed portion to the rotary axis of the spike so as to grip the rotary axis.
 8. A crampon as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a shock neutralizing element for fixing the axial element to a bottom of the base plate and absorbing shocks from the ground.
 9. A crampon as claimed in claim 4, wherein the rotary axis comprises a braking protrusion for keeping the spike folded or unfolded. 